The Princeton Tigers teammates of forward Maggie Connors (right) had plenty of reasons to congratulate the freshmen forward from St. John’s over the last few days. — Princeton Athletics photo

Princeton forward named tops in all of NCAA women's hockey for last seven days; Newfoundland Growlers’ Newfoundlanders had a nice week

It’s been very good week or so for female hockey players from Newfoundland.

Shailynn Snow of Clarke’s Beach won a gold medal with Canada’s team at the world under-18 women’s championship in Japan; goaltender Abby Clarke of Springdale, in her fifth year at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., was named both the Atlantic University Sport and U-Sports (Canadian university) female athlete of the week; and Maggie Connors of St. John’s, a freshmen forward with the Princeton University Tigers, was named both as the top player in the ECAC conference and in NCAA Division One women’s hockey as a whole.

Connors had four goals and two assists last weekend as Princeton (13-2-5) improved its ranking to fourth overall in the United States.

By the way, Connors isn’t the only player from this province with a top-10 ranked team in NCAA Division One women’s hockey. Amy Curlew of Happy Valley-Goose Bay plays defence for the Cornell Big Red, who were seeded fourth until a loss last weekend to Princeton.

Cornell (9-2-5) fell to seventh.

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Another group of Newfoundlanders having a very good past week were the quartet from this province suiting up with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.
Combined, forwards Zach O’Brien (three goals, four assists) and Marcus Power (four goals, two assists) of St. John’s and defencemen James Melindy (two assists) of Goulds and Adam Pardy (two goals, four assists), combined for nine goals and 12 helpers in four games over the past week, all Growlers’ wins.

It’s especially impressive considering Melindy and Pardy are best known as stay-at-0home rearguards.

O’Brien, by the way, was a runner-up for the ECHL’s player of the week award.

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When it comes to ups and downs for players who can be found on Newfoundlanders Away, our weekly statistical feature (in Wednesday's print and digital editions of The Telegram).

it’s mostly been downs in recent times.

• Goaltender and St. John’s native Evan Fitzpatrick was demoted first from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues to the American Hockey League’s San Antonio Rampage and then to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers, where’s he’s spent the majority of this season.

• Defenceman Cody Donaghey is back with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears after a brief call-up to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Donaghey didn’t see any playing time with the San Jose Sharks’ top farm team while on recall.

• Shayne Morrissey of St. John’s is back with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Evansville Thunderbolts after his latest stint in the ECHL, this time with the Toledo Walleye

However, we can report two players from the province started playing with new teams after the new year.

Forward Kyle McGrath, who had been in QMJHL last season and in the St. John’s Junior Hockey League for the first half of this campaign, is now with Newhook on the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, while veteran forward Mark Lee of Mount Pearl appeared in his first three games with the Romanian team ASC Corona Brasov, which competes in a professional league featuring entries from Hungary, Austria and Romania.